Roma boss reckons man of the match Evan Ferguson will bring 'great satisfaction' to I Giallorossi

Irish striker plays 75 minutes in Roma's Serie A opening night win over Bologna

TOP MAN: New signing Evan Ferguson celebrates with Roma's Brazilian defender Wesley after the latter's decisive goal in Saturday's Serie A opening night win over Bologna. Pic: Tiziana Fabi, AFP)

A sharper and fitter Evan Ferguson will enthral the Roma fans, according to his manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

The Ireland international led the attack, and was named man of the match, in Saturday’s Serie A opener at Stadio Olimpico where Wesley Franca's goal eight minutes into the second half edged them past Bologna.

Ferguson joined the Italian on a season-long loan from Brighton and Hove Albion and, for what was also Gasperini’s debut in the job, he selected the Irishman over Artem Dovbyk to spearhead the attack.

Transfer activity remains ongoing with Dovbyk potentially departing before Monday week’s deadline. Serie A champions Napoli and Everton have shown interest in the €30m-rated Ukrainian.

He was introduced with 16 minutes left by replacing debutant Ferguson.

👑 | Evan Ferguson is your Player of the Match against Bologna! 🟨🟥

Presented by @ComAve_Official #ASRoma #RomaBologna pic.twitter.com/EmluRBszFO

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 24, 2025

A bright start for the Bettystown man produced a hat-trick of chances, the closest to scoring coming with his 16th-minute header that flashed wide of the near post.

He was involved in the build-up to the solitary goal early in the second half before teeing up a clear sight at goal for Manu Koné, only for the French international to scuff his close-range shot wide.

Ferguson will be part of Heimir Hallgrimsson‘s Ireland squad named on Tuesday for the opening World Cup qualifiers, beginning at home to Hungary on Saturday week, and he’ll have Saturday’s trip to Pisa first to negotiate.

“He played a great game and his condition is improving,” Gasperini said afterwards about the 20-year-old recruit, acknowledging Ferguson’s lack of game-time in England last season.

“He played very little last year and needs to get used to it but showed some important qualities for us.

“They're very young players with plenty of room for improvement. They gave a good showing of what they can do against Bologna and we saw how compact this team is.

“I noticed that in pre-season, especially abroad where it's not easy playing in full stadiums.

“He (Ferguson) has a lot of potential and will give us great satisfaction in the long run.” 

 Overall, the new manager was glad to give the 63,681 a victory on the opening weekend, albeit the margin should have been wider.

“I rate the players highly,” he asserted. “You can't expect to have everything fine-tuned in the first game but we played with the right energy from the start.

“We were really tight and compact. Our forwards did well defensively too. We stuck together as a unit, were aggressive and got to the ball first.

“There was a lot of quality to our play and we should have taken the lead before the interval.

“In the second half we did well in all areas of the pitch. If only we'd been a little more calm and collected, we could have added a second but the fact we were able to dig in is another positive. It shows this team has plenty of character.

“We were bold. It's not easy against Bologna with their dangerous forwards and the quality they have on the bench.

“We worked tirelessly when out of possession. I'm happy. The first game is never easy for anyone, not even the well-established teams.

“To have played with this spirit in this stadium against this team is a big injection of confidence for us.”